Six Cape schools among grant recipients
Six schools in Cape Coral were among this year’s recipients of local grants.
In November, the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools awarded about $70,000 to educators, schools and administrators throughout the School District of Lee County through its Classroom, School and Department Grants program. Initiated in 1988, the program is funding 46 school projects this year.
“It started because teachers didn’t get much money to fund innovative hands-on projects for the students,” Beverly Burke, program director for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, said.
“This is a way to teach them outside of the box,” she added.
The program supports teachers and students by funding tools and resources that are not normally included in the budget but are necessary to create unique learning experiences, according to officials.
For the 2016-17 school year, there are 23 elementary school, 11 middle school and 12 high school projects receiving the funds. The foundation relies on sponsorships and matching state monies.
“There’s everything from school gardens and butterfly gardens,” Burke said. “We had robotics and an outdoor obstacle course – working with children with special needs, a literacy festival, field trips.
“All sorts of things,” she added. “It runs the gamut.”
Teachers submit a grant application to the foundation for innovative projects that enhance student learning through hands-on activities and unique perspectives on traditional subject areas, according to officials. The categories include arts, literacy or social studies, health/fitness/nutrition and STEM.
“The projects should focus on low-performing students, career and technical education, increasing graduation rates or teacher quality,” Burke said.
She noted that a total of 112 grant applications were received for this school year.
Among the recipients were the following Cape schools and projects:
* Caloosa Middle School: Rhythmic Taste and Tell (health/fitness/nutrition)
* Cape Coral High School: Cape Literacy Festival (school and department)
* Diplomat Middle School: Dream a Little Dream (literacy)
* Diplomat Middle School: Kids Creatively Composing (literacy)
* Gulf Middle School: Growing More Gardens (school and department)
* Ida S. Baker High School: Incidents and Accidents; Hints and Allegations (literacy)
* Skyline Elementary School: Wise Words Are Everywhere! (literacy)
A committee made up of business professionals, sponsors and volunteers pick the winners.
“We do a blind application,” Burke said. “We don’t let people know who wrote the applications.”
The recipients are required to track the progress of their project throughout the year.
“Basically, it’s just to see if the project showed any student gains or brought any interest in learning,” she said, noting that the program entails a mid-year and an end-of-year report, among other things.
For the 2015-16 school year, the foundation funded a total of 43 projects in Lee County.
“Last year, we gave more,” Burke said. “We awarded over $81,000.”
The grant program is only open to district schools, according to officials. The schools are provided information on the program at the start of the school year and informational workshops are scheduled.
“This program helps educate and guide students to reach their full potential which, in turn, creates a strong capable workforce in our community,” Marshall Bower, president of the foundation, said via a statement. “Providing a high-quality education ensure the success of our greatest asset, our children.”
For information, visit online at: www.leeschoolfoundation.org/.